Discuss the nature of “loyalty” and the conflicts associated with divided loyalty (CO4, 5). Articulate the ethical dimensions of “whistleblowing” (CO4, 5).

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EXCELSIOR COLLEGE:BNS301: National Security Ethics and Diversity

M6D1: Loyalty and Whistleblowing

Read:

  • Required
    • Module Notes: Defining and describing loyal dissent
    • Boffey, P.M. (1986, February 14. Analyst who gave shuttle warning faults gung-ho, can-do attitude (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., The New York Times, p. B-4.
    • Cook, R.C. (1986, March 16). Why I blew the whistle on NASA’s O-ring woes (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., The Washington Post, pp. D-1 to D-3.
    • Grimsley, K.D., (1997, September 8).  A matter of ethics:  In the workplace, sometimes you pay a price for following your conscience (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., The Washington Post, p. F-12.
    • Kidder, R. M (1995).  How good people make tough choices, Harper Collins.  New York. pp. 83-88.
    • Lindorff, D. (1986, June 28).  Engineers’ Duty to Speak Out (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., The Nation, pp. 880-882.
    • Wayne, L. (1986, February 28). Getting Bad News at the Top (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., The New York Times, pp. D-1, D-4.

View:

  • Required
    • Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster: Major Malfunction | Retro Report | The New York Times (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

https://youtu.be/-O_DMyHdq_M

Discuss:

  • M6D1: Loyalty and WhistleblowingNote: Please contribute one original post in response to each discussion question, and post at least one substantive reply to a fellow student.

This activity addresses module outcomes 1 & 2. Upon completion of this activity, you will be able to:

  • Discuss the nature of “loyalty” and the conflicts associated with divided loyalty (CO4, 5).
  • Articulate the ethical dimensions of “whistleblowing” (CO4, 5).

The purpose of this activity is to examine the concept of loyalty and its possible extreme of whistleblowing.  Can you be both loyal to your organization while also being a whistleblower?  This can be a difficult ethical decision as on one hand you need to do what’s right but on the other, being a whistleblower can put you at odds with your co-workers, your boss, or even the United States government.  Think through what loyalty means to you and what does it take to be a whistleblower.

Questions:

Based on the readings and activities for this module, answer the following questions:

  • Was Richard C. Cook loyal to NASA when he discussed the O-Ring problem? Why or why not?
  • How could the Challenger disaster have been prevented in your estimation? Were the NASA engineers whistleblowers?
  • Describe how whistleblowing may be an ethical dilemma and provide examples (refer to your readings or provide some first-hand examples).